


Stay

by namingthingsishard



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Because I pulled some inspiration from that lmao, Dubcon Kissing, Emotional Manipulation, I love reading bad ends but writing them is hard, I think that says a lot about where my comfort lies as far as writing lmao, Kidnapping, M/M, Major Character Death tag is only for the bad end (chapter 2), Not tagging the rest of the IT, Or borderline yandere at least idk, Pre-Relationship, Pumpkin Spice and Everything Souyo 2019, Should people being turned into dolls a la that one episode of Pokemon with Sabrina be a warning, Spoilers, The good end is like four times the length of the bad end askdfj, Trying to think of any other tags I might have missed lol, Yandere Shadow Souji, and it's off-screen, for November, since the fic is mainly focused on Souji+Yosuke+Shadow Souji
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-04 14:24:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21199133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/namingthingsishard/pseuds/namingthingsishard
Summary: All Souji wants is to keep everyone safe and by his side, no matter what.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [Halloween Souyo Event](https://twitter.com/SantaSouyo/status/1169049338351411201)! Though I’m not really sure if it counts since it came out a lot less horror-like than I intended since I’m horrible at writing horror alkdsfj but it does take place during mid-November and it has some slight yandere Shadow Souji and takes some influence from that one episode of Pokemon with Sabrina and the doll house so hopefully that’s enough to qualify it lmao;;;;

Souji had been kidnapped.

They wouldn’t have even realized so quickly that he was gone if it wasn’t so uncommon for Souji--who had even somehow managed to drag himself to school when Nanako was battling to stay alive in the hospital--to not show up to school all day, without so much as giving anyone a word of warning.

Yosuke tried not to worry, but it was hard to keep his heart from sinking as he called Souji’s phone repeatedly, only for the call to go straight to voicemail each time.

It made no sense--the previous night had been completely clear, without a single drop of rain in sight, and Souji had _ never _ shown up on the Midnight Channel before (hell, he already had his Persona, so how could he have a Shadow?)--yet everyone’s worst fears were confirmed when Rise and Teddie went into the TV World before coming back, their faces grim as they declared that Souji was definitely somewhere in there.

That settled that, then. There was no choice but to go in after him.

Except… could they really rescue someone without Souji around to lead them?

Not that they had a choice, of course--it wasn’t like they could just abandon Souji--but it would be difficult without their leader to guide them.

“What about Yosuke-senpai?” Naoto suggested once they’d entered the TV and put on their glasses, catching everyone--especially Yosuke--off-guard. “Forgive me if I’m mistaken, but… wouldn’t he be the best fit, considering how he’s Senpai’s second-in-command?”

“Wh-- _ me? _“ Yosuke stared at Naoto incredulously, before turning his gaze over to the rest of the group, who all seemed to be genuinely mulling over her suggestion. “You can’t be serious, I’m not-- there’s no way I could take over as leader, not even temporarily!”

“I mean yeah, you’re not really much of a leader,” Chie began, continuing before Yosuke could even throw an annoyed look in her direction, “but like… you and Souji are always planning everything together, and you’re the only one that always knows what to do without even needing to be told.”

“You’re Senpai’s partner, aren’t you?” Rise continued, giving Yosuke an encouraging smile. “I’m sure he would trust you to handle leading us in his place.”

Yosuke felt his face heating up lightly as everyone voiced their agreement--he was so used to everyone putting him down and poking fun at him that hearing such genuine support and encouragement was almost unsettling, yet somehow still uplifting.

They were all looking to him for guidance, and while Yosuke may have considered himself a fuckup in most aspects of his life, this was one time he couldn’t afford to let anyone--not his teammates, nor his partner--down.

He took a deep breath, letting it out in a slow, shaky sigh before hardening his expression.

“Alright. I can’t promise that I’ll be as good at this as Souji, but… I’ll do my best.” His gaze roamed the group as he continued to speak, settling first on Naoto. “Naoto, I want you on my right at all times--you have the most versatility in battle now that Souji’s gone, and I’m going to need to rely on you in case we run into any difficult Shadows.”

Naoto gave a sharp nod. “Understood.”

“Yukiko, Chie, I want you two up front with me as well,” Yosuke continued, turning his gaze over to the two girls in question. “Yukiko, try and be sparing with how much you use your Persona, since we don’t have access to a lot of the healing supplies that partner usually has on him; and Chie, I’ll be relying on you to be our hard hitter, so hopefully we can get through any fights quickly without having to drain ourselves too badly.”

“I understand.” “Got it!”

Yosuke gave a satisfied nod and looked over at the next two members of their group. “Kanji, Teddie, you two stay back with Rise to look after her, and get ready to switch in if anyone starts flagging.”

“You got it, Yosuke-senpai!” “Aye-aye, Yosuke!”

Yosuke rolled his eyes in response to Teddie’s salute--which looked more like him flailing one of his short arms than anything--before turning his gaze over to the last remaining person. “Rise, I won’t pretend I know how Souji manages to stay on top of fighting and calling out orders at the same time, so I’m going to need your help--I want you to keep a careful eye out in battle and back me up with giving orders if necessary.”

“No problem, Yosuke-senpai! Just leave it to me!” Rise replied, giving him a smile and confidently pumping her fist in the air. “We’ll get Senpai back in no time!”

Rise’s optimism quickly spread through the rest of the Investigation Team, each of their expressions lifting even as they prepared to head out into whatever unknown area Souji was trapped in.

They would find and rescue Souji, no matter what it took.

“Just hold on, partner… we’re on our way.”

* * *

It was genuinely surprising, at least for Yosuke, how smoothly things went: everyone followed Yosuke’s lead without question, and with Naoto to consult outside of battle and Rise to consult in battle, Yosuke found that he was handling this temporary leadership position better than he ever could have anticipated.

He idly wondered if Souji would be proud of them (of him) for making it through an unknown dungeon without his guidance, before pushing the thought aside. This wasn’t about making Souji proud, it was about making sure Souji was safe and alive--that was all he needed to focus on right now.

Thankfully, the dungeon was much smaller than any of the others that they’d traversed, and much more straightforward.

“It’s almost like…,” Naoto murmured, before shaking her head slightly. “No, perhaps it’s just my imagination.”

Yosuke frowned as he glanced over at the detective. “Almost like… Souji’s Shadow is guiding us to where Souji is?” he finished tentatively.

“So I’m not the only one who noticed, then.” Naoto looked the slightest bit relieved that Yosuke had voiced her thoughts aloud, as if she hadn’t wanted to be the one to say it. “I don’t know what to make of this, and I haven’t known Senpai for as long as you all, so I didn’t want to presume….”

“I didn’t realize, but now that you mention it, there haven’t been as many Shadows as there usually are when we’re going through these dungeons,” Rise added with a frown. “Could that be Senpai’s doing too? Or his Shadow’s doing, I guess.”

“This is Souji we’re talking about here,” Chie said with a small, slightly hesitant smile. “I mean, his Shadow’s a part of him, and he’s a nice guy, so… maybe he has a helpful Shadow, or something?”

“Who the hell ever heard of a helpful Shadow??” Kanji asked, shooting her a bewildered look.

“Ooh, ooh, I know, what about me!” Teddie interrupted, waving his arms enthusiastically. “I’m a helpful Shadow!”

“He’s… got a point, weirdly enough,” Yosuke replied. “But anyway, we’re wasting time. Regardless of whether or not we’re being led somewhere, and regardless of whether or not Souji’s Shadow is helping us, we still have to find Souji and get him home safely.”

Thankfully, the rest of the team agreed without a fuss, and they continued onward, following Rise’s navigation and fighting the occasional Shadow that crossed their path until they finally came to a stop in front of a large set of double doors.

“This is it. Senpai’s definitely in there,” Rise declared after doing one last scan with Kanzeon, before dismissing her Persona.

Yosuke took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before steeling himself for whatever they were about to face inside.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

* * *

Nothing could have prepared them for the sight of Souji on the ground, with his wrists bound behind his back and his ankles tied together.

He was gagged as well, preventing him from speaking even as he looked up at the group once they burst into the room, his expression both surprised and filled with fear--for their sake rather than his own, most likely--as an exact replica of Souji stepped forward with an eerie, golden gaze.

“_ So, you made it, _ ” Souji’s Shadow greeted with a smile. “ _ I had no doubts that you would, of course. _”

“What’d you do to Senpai?!” Kanji exclaimed, taking a step forward threateningly. “If you hurt him--”

“_ Of course I didn’t. Why would I do that? _”

The Shadow’s question threw the entire group for a loop, and they each glanced at each other in wary confusion before Yukiko spoke up.

“Because you’re his Shadow, aren’t you? Don’t you want him to deny you?”

Souji’s Shadow laughed softly, but there was an edge to his expression that caused their guards to raise warily.

“_ How well has that worked for any of your Shadows? _ ” Souji’s Shadow shook his head ruefully. “ _ To let him deny me would only result in us having to fight, and in my inevitable loss--so no, I think I’m just fine like this. Besides, I don’t want to fight any of you. _ ” His smile widened as he added, “ _ In fact, I want just the opposite, really. _”

“The… opposite?” Chie repeated, her expression bewildered. “I don’t get it.”

“Does that mean Sensei’s Shadow wants to be friends?” Teddie asked with a hopeful smile.

“That don’t make no sense, though,” Kanji replied with a confused frown, rubbing the back of his head as he added, “I mean, Senpai’s Shadow is still Senpai, and Senpai’s already our friend so… I’m totally lost here.”

“Guys, I think you’re missing the point.” Yosuke stepped forward with a frown, his eyes narrowed. “He’s trying to distract us--Souji’s sitting over there bound and gagged, and we need to help him.”

To Yosuke’s surprise, Shadow Souji’s expression seemed to soften as he glanced over at him.

“_ Sharp as always, Yosuke, though that wasn’t _ ** _entirely_ ** _ my intention. You can rest assured, though, that I won’t harm or kill him. _”

Naoto was next to step up, eyeing Souji’s Shadow curiously as she replied, “Because you need him in order to remain in this form, am I correct?” Upon feeling the confused gazes of her teammates, she explained, “Senpai understands how Shadows work--and that combined with his honest nature makes it highly improbable that he would deny his own Shadow upon facing him. That puts Senpai’s Shadow in a precarious situation: unable to gain strength through denial of one’s self, yet unwilling to let Senpai accept and reclaim him as part of himself. Should you kill him without obtaining a denial from Senpai, I assume that you would merely fade away along with him, as you have no identity of your own as of yet.”

Souji’s Shadow clapped, his smile surprisingly genuine and lacking any sarcasm as he replied, “_ I should have expected the Detective Prince to figure everything out so quickly. Well done. _ ” As he lowered his hands, he added, “ _ Though this puts me in a difficult position with you all, as well: as I said before, I have no intentions of fighting you, but I don’t have any intentions of letting you take him and leave here either. _”

Yosuke tensed and reluctantly pulled his daggers out. “Well, we’re not leaving here without partner, so… if we have to get past you with force, then we will.”

Shadow Souji frowned. “_ That won’t do. I want you all to be safe, and you won’t be safe if we have to fight. _ ” He took a step back, his expression shifting to an unsettling smile as he added, “ _ So instead, how about we do this? _”

Before everyone could so much as blink, the room shifted around them--and to their alarm, both Souji and his Shadow disappeared along with their surroundings, leaving them stranded in a room with seven blue doors.

“_ Consider this one last puzzle, with your leader as the prize. All you have to do is make your way through these doors--and don’t worry, there’s no Shadows inside, so it’s perfectly safe for even Rise to go on her own, I promise. _”

Shadow Souji’s voice rang out around them, and if there hadn’t been the unmistakable warp that tinged every Shadow’s voice, it might have been impossible to tell it apart from Souji’s usual calm, reassuring tone.

“He’s not lying,” Rise said after a moment, scanning each of the doors and the surrounding area carefully with Kanzeon. “There’s definitely… _ something _ going on with these doors, but….”

“But?” Yukiko prompted gently, once Rise trailed off into a troubled silence.

“It’s so weird,” Rise continued with a frown. “I don’t feel even a little bit of malice coming from anywhere in this whole area, but I still can’t shake the feeling that we have to be careful…. Maybe I’m just being paranoid, after all the other Shadows we’ve had to face.”

“It doesn’t hurt to be cautious,” Naoto reassured her. “Since there are no other exits, it seems we have no choice but to go along with whatever Senpai’s Shadow has planned for now--but even if this is an attempt to separate us, you can always open communications between all of us to better help us regroup, correct?”

Rise gave Naoto a smile. “Of course! I’ll summon Kanzeon as soon as we go through the doors.”

“Sounds like a plan, then,” Yosuke replied, before glancing around at everyone. “Are you guys ready?”

Everyone gave a firm nod in response before they each moved to stand in front of a door.

“Alright, on three,” Yosuke declared, figuring it would be on him as their temporary leader to make the call.

“One… two… _ three! _”

Yosuke saw everyone pull open their respective doors out of the corner of his eye as he did the same, seconds before he stepped through and his surroundings changed once more.

He was back in the previous room, with only Souji and his Shadow--the former of which had his head lowered in defeat as the latter grinned, his golden eyes shining in satisfaction as his gaze came to rest on the only other person in the room.

Yosuke paled.

As Naoto had said, he’d been aiming to separate them, but there was no sign of Rise so much as attempting to contact him as they’d agreed--which could only mean one thing.

“What did you do to them?”

“_ Hm? Oh, you have nothing to worry about, _ ” Souji’s Shadow replied airily, taking a step towards Yosuke. “ _ They’re all perfectly safe--and I’ll continue to keep them safe, for the rest of our lives. _”

“Wh… what…?”

“_ Take a look for yourself. _”

Souji’s Shadow gestured to a table behind Yosuke that he could have sworn wasn’t there before, and Yosuke warily approached the table, looking into the box that rested on top before recoiling in shock, feeling sick to his stomach.

Inside had been a replica of their headquarters at Junes--but that hadn’t been the unsettling part.

What had shaken him was the sight of six familiar, realistic-looking ball jointed dolls seated around the table, trembling as if alive and fighting to move limbs that weren’t meant to be shifted on their own.

“_ See? _”

Yosuke jumped as Souji’s Shadow spoke right next to his ear, stumbling and hastily catching himself before he could fall against the table.

When had he gotten so close? Yosuke hadn’t even heard him move.

“_ Like this, they’re perfectly safe. No more fighting Shadows, no more putting their lives in danger, no more chasing after dangerous murderers--even the fog is no danger to them like this. They can stay here with me forever. _”

“You-- you can’t be serious…!! Souji wouldn’t… partner wouldn’t want something like this!”

Souji’s Shadow smiled sadly. “_ I thought you would have understood, Yosuke. You always understood me better than anyone, didn’t you? _”

Yosuke faltered, guilt briefly seizing him--he was Souji’s partner, yet… somehow he’d failed Souji, if he hadn’t even noticed something was wrong until Souji got a Shadow of his own.

“Partner…,” Yosuke addressed the Shadow hesitantly, “I just… even if I don’t understand, I want to. Talk to me, please.”

This Shadow was still Souji, after all--so if Yosuke could just get him to open up a bit, maybe he could reason with the Shadow and convince him to let everyone go.

It was the only option he had left.

“_ I don’t want to lose anyone. Already, I almost…. _ ” To Yosuke’s surprise, the Shadow seemed to grow genuinely choked up for a moment before continuing. “ _ I almost lost Nanako. I won’t let anything like that happen ever again. I won’t let anything take you all from me--not Shadows, not murderers, not the fog, not distance or time… _ ** _nothing_ ** _ . _”

Yosuke shivered and forced himself to stay calm and focus. Shadows were the worst thoughts that a person had, but they were often drawn out and exaggerated--so after cutting out the extreme lengths that Souji’s Shadow was going to in order to keep everyone with him, Yosuke was left with only one conclusion after carefully parsing Shadow Souji’s words.

“You’re scared of losing us--not just to death, but… after you leave Inaba. You’re scared of being alone.”

His gaze traveled over to Souji as he spoke, feeling both guilty and satisfied as he saw Souji flinch and blush in clear shame, his gaze refusing to meet Yosuke’s.

Souji’s Shadow, in contrast, seemed pleased by Yosuke’s deduction. “_ That’s exactly right, though… you’re forgetting to factor in one important detail. _”

“Huh?” Yosuke blinked, confused, before his eyes widened in belated realization. “Wait… hold on. I just realized, why didn’t you trap me along with everyone else? I-I mean, not that I’m complaining, but--”

Yosuke jumped as Souji suddenly let out a loud, muffled noise, his eyes widening as he looked over at Souji to find him trembling and struggling frantically against his bindings, panic clear in his gaze.

“What-- S-Souji, what’s--!!”

“_ Now you’re asking the right questions, _ ” Souji’s Shadow praised with a smile that seemed to widen the more distraught Souji grew, his hands cupping Yosuke’s face and forcing his attention back over to him. He seemed to revel both in Souji’s panic and Yosuke’s flustered confusion for a moment before continuing to speak. “ _ Though really, it’s pretty obvious. After all, if I trapped you like I did everyone else, then I wouldn’t be able to do this. _”

With that, Souji’s Shadow leaned forward and captured Yosuke’s lips with his own.

For a moment, Yosuke was completely stiff as he tried to process what was happening--but as soon as it sunk in that he was being kissed (that _ Souji’s Shadow _ was kissing him), he jerked back to awareness, his face flooding with heat as he shakily shoved the Shadow off of him and backpedaled away.

“Wh-- what-- why did you-- what the hell?!”

Shadow Souji’s expression fell, and even in his flustered state, Yosuke could tell that the Shadow was hurt--and one wary glance over in Souji’s direction showed that he was in an even worse state, with his legs pulled up to his chest and his flushed face buried against his knees as his body continued to tremble.

“_ Haven’t you figured it out yet? _ ” Souji’s Shadow took a step forward, and Yosuke took a wary step backwards in return. “ _ For so long, he’s been repressing these feelings… but why? You wouldn’t leave him, would you partner? You’ve had plenty of opportunities to abandon him like everyone else in his life, to just use him and toss him aside, and yet… you never did--so why would that change if he told you how much he loves you? Isn’t that right, _ ** _partner_ ** _ ? _”

Yosuke’s blush darkened heavily, a nervous laugh slipping out--he couldn’t tell whether Shadow Souji’s words were a threat or a plea, not that it mattered much when his mind was stuck on the fact that Souji was apparently _ in love with him _.

How was something like that even possible? None of this made any sense, he had to be… misunderstanding Souji’s Shadow or something, because there was _ no way _ that Souji, the most popular and sought-after guy in all of Inaba, was in love with _ him _, the clumsy loser prince of Junes that everyone couldn’t stand.

Even putting aside the fact that they were both guys, and even putting aside the fact that Yosuke had never once been interested in guys, it was just… it was so utterly _ impossible _ that Yosuke couldn’t even begin to wrap his mind around the idea.

Why would someone like Souji love someone like _ him? _ It had to be some sort of crazy mistake, there was no other explanation.

“_ I guess he was wrong about you, after all. _”

Yosuke tensed as Shadow Souji’s eyes began to glow, his cold expression sending a shiver of dread down Yosuke’s spine.

“_ If you’re going to leave him, then-- _”

“W-wait, hold on!!” Yosuke hastily put up his hands before the Shadow could try and trap him with everyone else, realizing that now wasn’t exactly the time or the place for him to be going into shock over a kiss or a confession, as unexpected as it had been. “Who said I was going to leave him? Like you said, he’s my partner; I’d never abandon him or toss him aside.”

Souji’s Shadow paused, a pensive frown tugging at the corners of his lips as he eyed Yosuke. “_ ... Are you just saying that to try and placate me? _”

“I’m not.”

(Which was true, though the fact that he was purposely trying to calm the Shadow was also just as true.)

Yosuke just barely managed to repress a relieved sigh when he saw the glow fading from the Shadow’s eyes, instead holding his gaze as he took a careful step forward.

“Souji is my partner, and nothing will ever change that.” He briefly glanced over at Souji and gave him a small yet genuine smile as he added, “And I seriously mean _ nothing _. You’re my best friend, and I don’t want you to leave me just as much as you don’t want me to leave you.”

Souji looked up at Yosuke in stunned shock that quickly faded into a look of relief and gratitude, one that was so overwhelmingly warm that Yosuke felt his face heating up just from being on the receiving end of it.

It was rare for Souji to be so openly expressive, but Yosuke couldn’t say he minded the sight all too much, no matter how embarrassing it was.

Souji’s Shadow hummed thoughtfully, and Yosuke warily turned his gaze back over to him as he heard him speak. “_ Does this mean that you accept his feelings, then? _”

“Well, I mean….” Yosuke faltered, his blush darkening as he tried to find the right words to say. “It’s… kinda hard to accept something like this--I mean, Souji could have anyone he wants, so why is he settling for me?”

Shadow Souji’s eyebrows raised in a show of genuine surprise. “** _That’s_ ** _ your reason for not being able to accept his feelings? Not because you’re both guys? _”

Yosuke grimaced. “I mean yeah, there’s that too, but like… that’s just my own personal hangups that I’ve got to get over, and I’ve been trying to be more… open to the idea ever since I made a total ass of myself around Kanji--but _ Souji _ liking _ me? _ Even if he was a girl and I was a guy, or if he was a guy and I was a girl, that _ still _ would make no sense. I mean, I’m clumsy, and useless, and I’m constantly sticking my foot in my mouth, and everyone can’t stand me, and-- _ mmph!! _”

He had no idea when Souji’s Shadow had managed to clear the distance between them, but he was abruptly cut off by Shadow Souji’s lips pressing against his own once more--and this time, though his head was spinning and all the blood in his body was pooled in his face, he couldn’t resist the urge to briefly lean into the kiss before pulling away and shooting the Shadow a weak glare.

“_ I won’t stand for you putting yourself down, _ ” Souji’s Shadow said, undeterred by Yosuke’s expression. “ _ You’re loyal, kind, selfless, intuitive, bright, charismatic-- _”

Now it was Yosuke’s turn to cut the Shadow off, though he hastily covered Shadow Souji’s mouth with his hand instead of with his lips as the Shadow had done to him.

“Dude, that’s… y-you’re just saying all of that,” Yosuke replied weakly, though he couldn’t quite stop his heart from swelling as he took in all of the praise.

Yosuke hastily retracted his hand with a choked noise when he felt Souji’s Shadow press a kiss to his palm, his face burning in embarrassment as Souji’s Shadow chuckled softly.

“_ You know that isn’t true. _”

Yosuke shifted his gaze down to his hands, running his fingers along the spot that Souji’s Shadow had kissed before glancing back up at him.

“So that’s… really how Souji feels about me, then?” With a weak laugh, he added, “You’re not gonna suddenly spring on me that he thinks I’m a pain in the ass, are you?”

Shadow Souji’s expression softened in understanding, and--to Yosuke’s surprise--he reached out to wrap his arms around him, pulling him into an embrace.

“_ Never. _”

Yosuke couldn’t help but relax, a wave of relief washing over him as it finally began to sink in that Souji’s Shadow was being completely sincere with him.

“When we first got here… part of me was honestly really scared to hear what you were going to say,” Yosuke confessed quietly. “I had no idea what kind of stuff partner could’ve possibly been hiding that would make him develop a Shadow, but I was worried that maybe… it was about me.” He laughed weakly as he added, “Which I guess it kinda was, though not in the way I thought it would be.”

“_ I’m everything that he’s been repressing: his thoughts, his feelings, his desires… but I can assure you that he has no negative thoughts or feelings towards you. Any problems that he’s had with you, he’s always been upfront with you about. _”

Yosuke winced guiltily. “Yeah, I know that much. Partner really doesn’t beat around the bush when he’s not happy with anything I say or anything I do, but… I appreciate that about him. It means I can always trust him to be honest with me.”

Souji’s Shadow nodded with a small, satisfied smile before asking, “_ And we can trust you to be honest as well--so tell me: do you think you can accept his feelings now? _”

Yosuke blushed, realizing that the Shadow had talked him into a corner--though really, Yosuke already knew what his answer was the moment he found himself relaxing in his partner’s arms.

“I still don’t completely feel like I _ deserve _ his feelings, but… yeah.”

One of Shadow Souji’s hands moved up to run through his hair, and Yosuke let out a soft, shuddering sigh and closed his eyes.

He knew he needed to focus on getting Souji back home and rescuing their friends, but it was so hard to separate the Shadow from his partner in his mind when the feeling of being held in both of their arms was nearly identical.

“_ You’re enjoying this, aren’t you? _ ” the Shadow murmured, his voice soft yet not mocking in the slightest. “ _ So why not stay here with me? _”

Yosuke tensed, awareness briefly coming back to him before being swept away once more as Souji’s (no, Souji’s _ Shadow’s _) lips brushed against his ear, his voice and his warm breath both sending a shiver down Yosuke’s spine.

“_ Think about it: just you and me, like this, for all eternity _ ,” he whispered, drawing Yosuke in deeper with each word. “ _ No more Junes, no more people whispering behind your back, no more cruel glances sent your way…. _”

Souji’s Shadow trailed a hand down to the back of Yosuke’s neck, relishing the small shiver that wracked Yosuke’s body once more in response. “_ I could protect you from it all, so all you would ever hear for the rest of your days is words of love and praise, just like you deserve--and best of all, I would be all _ ** _yours_ ** _ . _”

Yosuke swallowed thickly--and for one brief, horrible moment, he found himself actually entertaining the thought of the Shadow’s offer.

What would it be like? To never have to hear anyone berating him or insulting him ever again; to be able to have Souji all to himself, instead of having to hope that Souji had a few hours to spare for him in between spending time with so many other people; to have Souji indulging him whenever he wanted, with even just this small taste of affection that he’d shown him….

Yosuke shook his head and forced himself to pull away from the Shadow before he could fully fall for his temptations, taking a few steps backwards for good measure.

“Souji doesn’t want that, and neither do I,” he declared firmly.

Shadow Souji’s expression fell. “_ You do. You both want this, so why are you lying? _ ” His eyes narrowed, hurt and disappointment slowly morphing into anger. “ _ I’m just trying to make you happy and keep you safe, so _ ** _why_ ** _ \-- _”

“I’d never be happy, staying in a place like this--especially not when you’ve got Souji tied up and all of our friends trapped,” Yosuke replied sharply. “If you really wanted to make me happy, then you’d let everyone go.”

“_ I can’t do that, Yosuke. _ ” Souji’s Shadow took a step towards Yosuke, his eyes narrowed. “ _ I won’t let anyone take the people I care about from me ever again, not even you. _”

Yosuke swallowed thickly, a flash of fear rushing through him--he couldn’t let Souji’s Shadow trap him, but apparently talking the Shadow down was a lost cause. What else could he possibly….

He blushed heavily as an idea came to him, and he acted before he could second-guess himself.

Souji’s Shadow was clearly reluctant to do anything to him, and clearly harbored whatever feelings Souji had for him. It made him feel like an asshole for even considering using that against him, but desperate times called for desperate measures--and he could only hope that Souji would understand and forgive him.

Yosuke reached out and grabbed Souji’s Shadow by the front of his shirt and pulled him close, clearly catching him off-guard as his angry expression melted into flustered confusion.

“_ Yos--?! _”

Yosuke captured Shadow Souji’s lips in a heated kiss, ignoring the blood pooling in his face as he heard Souji’s muffled noise of surprise almost in unison with the Shadow’s.

As Yosuke hoped, Souji’s Shadow was quick to relax into the kiss, and Yosuke very carefully maneuvered them as he continued to kiss the Shadow, inching closer and closer to Souji’s bound and gagged body.

Finally, when he was close enough, he broke the kiss and murmured an apology before roughly shoving the Shadow away and turning to run the rest of the way over to Souji’s side.

He only had a minute--less, even--to reach his partner and get the gag off of him so he could accept his Shadow.

Just a little bit farther, and--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't decide how to end it so I wrote a bad end and a good end lol so you can choose to read them both or just skip to your preferred ending! ^^


	2. Bad End

Yosuke forcibly jerked to a halt as he was grabbed from behind, the color draining from his face.

No, he was so close, he was  _ so close-- _

“ ** _Susano-o!!_ ** ”

In desperation, Yosuke called out to his Persona, trying to draw forth at least enough power to defend himself and force the Shadow away… except nothing was appearing.

Why wasn’t his Persona appearing?! He could feel it inside him, but it was as if it was being blocked from coming out.

Souji’s Shadow tutted disapprovingly. “ _ Oh Yosuke… you don’t need to use your Persona here. After all, there’s no danger. _ ” He pulled Yosuke close, his power building as he forcefully turned Yosuke to face him. “ _ I didn’t appreciate you pushing me away like that, though. You really hurt my feelings, you know? _ ”

“Th-that was-- I-I… I didn’t--” Yosuke tried to stay calm, but it was so hard to stop himself from trembling as he saw the dangerous glow in the Shadow’s eyes, especially as he slowly began to lose feeling in his limbs. “Please don’t do this….”

“ _ If you’d just agreed to stay with me, I wouldn’t have to, _ ” Souji’s Shadow replied, a disappointed frown briefly flitting across his face before shifting to a smile that sent chills of dread down Yosuke’s spine. “ _ It’s okay, though--you don’t have to be afraid. I’ll take good care of you, and I’ll keep you and all of our friends safe. _ ”

Yosuke opened his mouth to try and say something,  _ anything _ , only to lose whatever color was left in his face as his throat constricted, preventing him from forcing out even a single sound. When Souji’s Shadow moved his hand up to Yosuke’s face, gently closing his open mouth before brushing against his cheek affectionately, Yosuke could do nothing to stop him--his body felt like it was shutting down, yet even more terrifying was the fact that his awareness wasn’t fading along with it.

He could still see Souji’s Shadow as his body began to change; could still hear the Shadow’s voice murmuring reassurances and the real Souji yelling muffled protests; could still feel the Shadow’s touch as he held him first in his arms, and then in his hands….

“ _ Don’t worry, Yosuke. I’ll set up somewhere special, just for you, _ ” Souji’s Shadow said with an affectionate smile, pressing a kiss to the top of the inanimate object’s head.

The Shadow shifted the area around them, creating a pedestal with a clear box resting on top of it, and he gently set Yosuke down in the cushioned interior of the box before closing the top with a pleased smile.

“ _ Now you can be safe and mine, forever. _ ”

Shadow Souji’s smile fell into an annoyed frown as he became aware of the incessant stream of muffled noises behind him, and he sighed as he straightened up and turned to face the one last threat to the people he cared about.

“ _ Do you really think you have a right to protest anything, after all of this? _ ” Souji’s Shadow knelt down in front of Souji, watching him with a cold smile. “ _ This is your fault, you know. After all, I  _ ** _am_ ** _ you. _ ”

The Shadow saw anger and guilt warring in Souji’s expression, and--with no one left to fight him--he knew it was safe to remove the gag from Souji’s mouth, allowing him to speak.

“It’s not my fault! I never… I never wanted any of this!”

“ _ Oh? I have to disagree--I’ve heard your thoughts loud and clear. Your desire to keep them all to yourself, to keep  _ ** _him_ ** _ all to yourself, even if it meant not letting them move on from you like everyone else has…. Can you really say that you never wanted any of this? Can you really say that part of you isn’t pleased by the thought of them never having to fight again, never having to put themselves in danger again, never being able to abandon you-- _ ”

“ ** _No!!_ ** ”

Souji’s Shadow just barely stopped himself from grinning as he watched Souji beginning to break down.

“No, no, that’s not true, I don’t… I would never…!!”

“ _ It is true, whether you want to admit it or not. _ ” The Shadow forced Souji to look up at him, golden eyes meeting silver as he whispered, “ _ I am a Shadow, the true self. You can lie to everyone else, but you can never lie to me. _ ”

“No… no, you’re not--”

Souji cut himself off, realizing too late in his distressed state that he was being baited--but one glance over the Shadow’s shoulder at Yosuke, trapped because of him (because of his twisted desires, a protectiveness and a simple wish to keep the people he loved just a bit closer that went so horribly wrong), bled whatever fight was left in him away.

He’d failed everyone.

He had no strength to break free of the bindings on his wrists and ankles, no access to his Personas… and no willpower left to even try and accept such a twisted, selfish Shadow as a part of himself.

There was nothing he could do. Yosuke was their last hope, but if even he hadn’t managed to talk Souji’s Shadow down, then no one could.

Souji dropped his head, his voice a quiet, resigned murmur. “... not me.”

“ _ Hm? What was that? _ ” the Shadow asked with a knowing grin.

“You’re… not me.”

Souji closed his eyes as he heard his Shadow’s laughter, not even bothering to brace himself when he felt the Shadow’s power gathering.

He could hear a voice in the back of his mind, a whisper of reassurance that this was not the ending he was meant to reach, and he could only pray that the voice was telling the truth as the Shadow closed in on him.

Hopefully he would be a better leader and a better friend next time.

“I’m sorry, everyone.”

* * *

“ ** _Tragedy Strikes Again: A Third Murder Victim Appears in Inaba!_ **

_ The small rural town of Inaba, originally hardly known to any outside the local area, has gained unfortunate recognition in the wake of the two bizarre murder cases this past spring--and it seems that the murderer is stlil on the loose. _

_ The body of a young high school boy [name and age withheld] was found hanging from a telephone pole just outside the town’s shopping district, following the same pattern set by previous victims Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi. Sources say that his death may in fact coincide with the disappearance of several other high school students in the area, who were all reported missing at approximately the same time as-- _ ”

“ _ Haah _ … how boring. Who would have thought the game would end like this?”

A figure carelessly tossed the newspaper aside, glancing out the window as an eerie yellow fog began to envelop the streets of Inaba.

“Oh well.” They rose out of their seat, a lopsided smile working its way onto their face as they heard the panicked yelling in the streets. “At least there's still a bit of entertainment left for now.”

They strolled outside at a leisurely pace, uncaring of their own safety now that there was no role left for them to play.

“Until the next game, then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <strike>Crappy news article is crappy I'm sorry</strike>


	3. Good End

Yosuke stumbled to a halt in front of Souji, getting the gag off of him as fast as his shaking hands would allow and tossing it aside just in time for Souji’s Shadow to rise back to his feet, looking both hurt and irate.

“ _ You-- _ ”

“I never wanted to have to acknowledge the thoughts that have been going through my head, especially as of late,” Souji cut his Shadow off, speaking clearly despite his body’s slight trembling. “I should have known better than to push them aside, especially given how many of my friends did the same, but… I guess part of me thought that because I already had a Persona, that meant it wasn’t possible for me to develop a Shadow no matter how many thoughts and feelings I buried.” He let out a small, humorless laugh. “Apparently it  _ was _ possible, though, and now everyone is paying the price for my arrogance--or my cowardice, I guess.”

Souji briefly turned his attention away from his Shadow as he felt the restraints around his wrists falling away, flushing lightly as Yosuke met his gaze and gave him a supportive smile before moving with his dagger in hand to cut through the restraints around Souji’s ankles.

As soon as Souji was able, he pushed himself up to his feet, giving Yosuke a grateful look as his partner helped him up.

“I was scared,” Souji admitted as he turned his attention back over to his Shadow, who was watching both him and Yosuke quietly. “Scared of losing my friends like I almost lost Nanako; scared of being left behind and forgotten after the year is up and I go back home; scared of… of losing my best friend by admitting that I saw him as more than just a friend, especially knowing how he felt about guys being  _ like that _ ….”

Souji saw Yosuke wince out of the corner of his eye, and was grateful that he kept quiet, allowing Souji to say his piece as he took a step towards his Shadow.

“Your actions might have been a bit…  _ extreme _ , but I can acknowledge that at their very base, your feelings are the same as mine: the fear, the desperation, the desire to keep everyone safe and by your side at all costs… those all came from me, just as you did--because you’re me, and I’m you.”

Souji’s Shadow gave both Souji and Yosuke a soft smile--resigned yet content--as he began to fade away, Izanagi briefly taking his place before disappearing entirely.

Souji hardly had a second to let out a relieved sigh before there was the sound of a crash and six voices shouting over one another, and Souji and Yosuke both jumped and turned towards the source of the noise in alarm to find their friends on the ground in a heap, looking disgruntled but otherwise unharmed.

“Ow!! Get  _ off _ me, Kanji!”

“Tell Rise ‘n’ Teddie to get off’a  _ me _ first!!”

“Y-your faces--  _ snrk _ \-- hahah--”

“Y-- Yukiko-senpai, I don’t think this is an appropriate time for laughter! If you could please move--”

“ _ Will you all get off of me?! _ ”

Souji and Yosuke shared a glance, feeling a cross between amused and relieved as they rushed over to help out their friends.

* * *

“Wait, so Souji’s Shadow is gone? And we  _ missed _ it?!”

Chie let out a disappointed groan, while Yukiko patted her arm comfortingly.

“I guess Yosuke must have been the only one of us to make it through Souji’s Shadow’s puzzle, then,” Yukiko said thoughtfully.

“Wait-- what?” Yosuke blinked, bewildered.

Rise pouted. “I wanted to be the one to help Senpai… but, well,” she gave Souji a smile as she continued, “as long as Senpai’s okay now, I guess that’s what matters.”

“Wait, wait, hold on, back up a sec,” Yosuke said, glancing around at everyone in confusion. “This is gonna sound really weird, but like… what happened to you guys after you went through those doors?”

“Huh? Well, uh… we just kinda blacked out, I guess,” Kanji replied hesitantly, rubbing the back of his head as he looked around for support. “Right? I mean, that’s what happened to me, before we ended up back here.”

Everyone nodded and gave murmurs of agreement, much to Souji and Yosuke’s mutual bewilderment.

“So… you don’t remember anything at all?” Souji checked warily, unable to help but feel the slightest bit relieved when everyone nodded once more.

He felt bad to keep what his Shadow had said and done from them, especially since he’d seen each of their Shadows, but….

“You don’t have to tell us what happened if you don’t want to, Senpai,” Naoto said, catching Souji off-guard and giving him a small, amused smile as she saw the surprise in his expression. “I understand that confronting your Shadow can be very…  _ personal _ , and you don’t have to feel obligated to tell us anything just because you saw ours.”

Souji could have taken the out that Naoto had so graciously given him--and part of him genuinely wanted to--but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he did.

“The whole reason I had a Shadow in the first place was because I’d been forcing myself to hide my thoughts and my feelings,” Souji replied with a rueful smile. “I think I owe it to you all, and to myself, to be honest.”

And so Souji began to recount everything: how few friends he’d had before moving to Inaba; how much he treasured the friends that he’d made here; his fear for their safety that slowly began to grow and fester over time, made worse by the incident with Nanako and Namatame; his worries that once they caught the true murderer and once he left Inaba, everyone would move on with their lives without him, and would eventually replace him and forget about him entirely--

As everyone hugged him and reassured him that that would never happen, Souji couldn’t help his eyes from clouding over with tears of relief, even as he registered in the back of his mind that Yosuke was the only one not joining in on the hug and the words of reassurance.

He’d purposely avoided mentioning anything that had happened between his Shadow and Yosuke, mainly because he didn’t want to fluster Yosuke or put him on the spot--but also because he was terrified to bring the subject up, unsure of what would happen now that everything was over and everyone was safe.

Yosuke had told him that nothing would change and that they were still partners, but… what if he’d just been saying that because he was being put on the spot? What if everything had been a lie, just to try and talk Souji’s Shadow down? What if Yosuke resented him for his Shadow forcefully kissing him and dumping unwanted feelings on him? What if--

Souji swayed in place after everyone pulled back from the hug, suddenly feeling faint from exhaustion, only for someone to reach out and steady him.

“Easy, partner. C’mon, let’s get you out of this place and back home.”

Souji’s breath caught in his throat as Yosuke gave him an understanding smile, and it took all of his willpower to keep his relief from flooding his expression even as he gave Yosuke a small, grateful smile of his own.

It was only months’ worth of suppressing his feelings that helped keep his face from heating up as Yosuke moved Souji’s arm around his shoulders and kept his own arm around Souji’s waist, supporting him as they began making their way towards the entrance of the TV world.

“Oh yeah!” Rise turned to face Souji suddenly as they walked, catching everyone’s attention. “Senpai, did you see who pushed you into the TV? It couldn’t have been Namatame, so that must mean--”

Souji shook his head, cutting her off with a frown. “Unfortunately, my case was… a bit different. The murderer wasn’t involved at all.”

“But then how did you end up in the TV?” Yukiko asked.

“I wasn’t pushed in… I was pulled.”

Yosuke’s eyes widened in realization. “Wait, are you saying your  _ Shadow _ pulled you in?!”

Souji sighed and nodded. “I was surprised too. It wasn’t even raining that night.”

“Can you tell us what happened from the beginning?” Naoto asked, her brows furrowed in thought.

“Unfortunately, there isn’t much to tell,” Souji replied regretfully. “I got home late from one of my part-time jobs, and by the time I cooked and sat down to eat, it was already close to midnight. Once midnight struck, the living room TV suddenly turned on, and my Shadow appeared.” Hesitantly, he asked, “Did the Midnight Channel play for any of you?”

“Sorry Senpai, I wasn’t even watching for it,” Kanji admitted sheepishly.

“Yosuke and I were both asleep!” Teddie declared.

Yosuke frowned. “The noise from the TV would’ve woken at least one of us, though… so maybe it just played for you?”

“It’s possible,” Souji agreed. “My Shadow was speaking directly to me, after all. He taunted me for a bit before reaching out, and before I knew it a hand had grabbed my arm and was pulling me through the TV.”

“That sounds like it would make a great ghost story,” Yukiko mused with a smile.

Chie shivered. “Don’t say that! Now I’m gonna have nightmares….”

Souji chuckled. “In any case, I was pulled into the TV and lost consciousness, and when I woke up I was exactly how you found me.”

“Your Shadow seemed to exhibit a number of peculiar behaviors uncommon to other Shadows that we’ve seen, at least to my knowing,” Naoto said, her arms crossed and a small, pensive frown on her face. “I wonder if that was a byproduct of your unique abilities, possessing multiple Personas and being the first of us all to be able to travel between Inaba and the TV world.”

“Maybe….”

Souji would have contributed more, but he cut off with a quiet groan as his head began to spin, as if protesting forcing himself to think on top of forcing himself to move.

“Why don’t we try and figure it out tomorrow, after partner gets some rest?” Yosuke suggested.

“Ah, I apologize,” Naoto said sheepishly, lowering her hat as she dropped her gaze in guilt. “You’re right, Senpai’s health comes first.”

Souji wanted to protest that he was fine, but one glance from Yosuke had him shutting his mouth with a resigned sigh--yet he found himself repressing a smile as well, his heart swelling in response to Yosuke’s concern.

He let himself be guided back to the entrance of the TV world, looking forward to going home and getting some sleep after a long, stressful night (or was it a day? Maybe longer? He had no idea how long he’d been in the TV world for, now that he thought about it). Upon going through the TV stack and landing back in Junes, Souji expected everyone to part ways--which they did, all except the one person Souji had thought would be the first person to run off.

Yosuke must have sensed Souji’s confusion, because he let out a quiet laugh and gave Souji a smile when their gazes met. “Don’t give me that look. What kind of partner would I be if I didn’t make sure you got home safely?”

Souji glanced away in embarrassment, though he couldn’t stop a smile from tugging at the corners of his lips as he murmured a quiet “thank you”, before letting Yosuke escort him all the way back home.

* * *

Apparently, Yosuke was set on surprising him to the very end: not only did he walk Souji home, but he invited himself inside as well, insisting on making Souji something to eat and shooing him off to go rest in the living room until the food was done.

Souji tried to snuff out the spark of hope that kept flickering to life in his chest, but it was getting harder and harder to convince himself that Yosuke had been lying about still wanting to be his partner, even after discovering how Souji felt about him.

Honestly, that was all Souji could ever--or  _ would _ ever--ask for, at this point. As long as he still had his best friend, that was all that he needed.

“Sorry for the wait!”

Yosuke’s voice pulled Souji from his thoughts, and he looked up from where he’d been zoning out in time to see Yosuke enter the living room with two plates in hand.

Souji wanted to get up and help Yosuke set the table, but exhaustion was beginning to hit him hard, and he could barely even manage to make it over to the table before needing to sit down again so he wouldn’t pass out.

“Are you alright?”

Souji’s face began to heat up as he felt Yosuke’s concerned gaze on him, but he was too tired to try and stop it--and besides, there wasn’t much point in trying to hide anything this late in the game.

“I’m… I’m fine. Just tired, and a bit dizzy.”

Yosuke hummed thoughtfully, continuing to observe Souji for a moment longer before picking up his chopsticks and gesturing towards the plate of food that he’d set in front of Souji. “Try and eat a bit, and then I’ll help you upstairs. Getting some food in your stomach might help with the dizziness, at least.”

Souji nodded and picked up his own chopsticks, a small smile working its way onto his face as soon as he tasted the food.

It wasn’t exactly the best meal he’d ever eaten--though it did taste surprisingly good; apparently Yosuke was a better cook than the girls, at least--but the fact that Yosuke had made it specifically for him was enough to make him want to clean the whole plate, his heart swelling with appreciation and love for his best friend.

“Guess you must’ve been hungrier than you realized, huh,” Yosuke teased with a quiet laugh as he watched Souji practically inhale his food.

“It was delicious,” Souji replied as he set his chopsticks down. “Thank you for the meal.”

“Anytime, partner,” Yosuke replied with a grin, shooting Souji a wink as he added, “With all the times you’ve cooked for me, I figured it was about time I returned the favor.”

Souji tried his best to keep his blush from darkening, but apparently it was a lost cause judging by the intrigue on Yosuke’s face combined with his own light blush--though that was certainly a lot better than the disgusted, hateful reactions that Souji had feared he would be on the receiving end of if Yosuke ever caught wind of his feelings.

Yosuke finished his own plate of food before standing up, shooting Souji a look when he tried to get up and help Yosuke clean up.

“Don’t even think about it, partner. You’re off duty for tonight--and I’m not budging on that.”

Souji deflated in resignation, though he was inwardly grateful that he could continue to rest instead of pushing himself to move around more than necessary.

When Yosuke finished cleaning up, he rejoined Souji in the living room and helped him back up onto the couch--before shocking Souji by sitting right next to him instead of on the cushions on the floor, or even on the opposite end of the couch.

“Partner, I think… I think we need to talk about-- well, about a lot of stuff, really. What happened with your Shadow, and, um… your feelings, and stuff.”

Souji tensed and dropped his gaze as he nodded. Part of him had hoped that maybe they would go through the night without any mention of everything that happened, but he knew that it wouldn’t be fair to Yosuke for them to just sweep everything under the rug and pretend it never happened.

“I’m sorry,” Souji began, keeping his gaze on the floor. “My Shadow never should have… I would never do something like that to you. That was just-- I mean, I’ve… thought about, um. Kissing you, before, but never like that. Never against your will or without your consent, I swear.”

Yosuke sighed, though his cheeks were bright red in embarrassment from the memory. “I know you wouldn’t, partner; I trust you. Just… the things that your Shadow said, about how you feel… were they…?”

“Everything was true,” Souji replied. “I… for months now, I’ve had feelings for you, and I’ve done my best to repress them so we could still be friends, but--”

“Partner,” Yosuke cut Souji off, causing him to warily glance up at Yosuke in confusion, “I get why you thought you had to do that, and I’m sorry--I’ve said a lot of shit and acted like an asshole, and I probably really hurt you without even realizing, but… that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop being your friend. Even if your Shadow hadn’t shown up and I’d found out about your feelings, I’d still be your partner--I told you that nothing will ever change that, and I meant it.”

Souji’s breath hitched, his heart swelling in relief at the clear reaffirmation of his earlier declaration. “Yosuke….”

“If we’re apologizing, though, then I need to say I’m sorry too,” Yosuke added, causing Souji’s expression to shift to confusion. “I… I shouldn’t have taken advantage of your Shadow’s--or, well,  _ your _ \--feelings and… kissed him, to distract him. I don’t want you to think that I’d ever mess with your feelings or do something like that to you--”

“I know you wouldn’t,” Souji reassured him, smiling as Yosuke visibly relaxed in relief. “It was a desperate situation, and you did what you had to do to make sure everyone got out of there safely. Honestly, I’m more grateful to you than anything that you were able to bring yourself to do that.”

Yosuke blushed as he murmured. “I wasn’t exactly… um. Well, it’s not like I was really…  _ forcing _ myself.”

“What…?”

Yosuke rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, I didn’t want to do it, but… because of the circumstances, not because I, uh. Was opposed to….”

“Kissing me?” Souji finished when Yosuke trailed off into flustered silence, his heart swelling in hope as Yosuke nodded. “Were you not opposed to it because you were doing it to help me, or…?”

Yosuke groaned, covering his flushed face with his hands. “Are you really going to make me say it?”

“Yosuke,  _ please _ .”

He tentatively glanced up at Souji, his expression softening as he saw the nervousness in his partner’s gaze. “I wasn’t opposed to it because it was  _ you _ , partner,” he confessed, unable to help the smile that tugged at the corners of his lips as he heard Souji’s breath hitch in response. “No one’s ever made me feel that way before--like I was… like I was  _ important _ and someone actually  _ worth _ loving, and… honestly, I was kind of… um. W-well, I know your Shadow is technically you, but he also  _ wasn’t _ you, and-- ugh, forget it, I’m being weird.”

“You’re not being weird,” Souji reassured him, trying and failing to not seem too eager as he asked, “What were you going to say?”

Yosuke eyed Souji for a moment in embarrassment before saying, “I kind of wished it was… you and not your Shadow, when he k-- kissed me. Or at least, the second time he kissed me--the first time I was too busy freaking out to really think about anything,” he added wryly.

“Do you still feel that way?” At Yosuke’s confused look, Souji shifted a bit closer and asked, “Do you still wish it was me kissing you?”

Yosuke made a choked noise, his face flooding with heat, but with how Souji was looking at him--so filled with hope, along with the tiniest hints of desire that he was obviously trying so hard to hide--he couldn’t possibly deny his partner (or himself) any longer.

In lieu of a response, Yosuke leaned forward, clearing the distance between the two of them and pulling Souji into a kiss before he could start overthinking things and second-guessing himself.

The pleased noise that Souji let out as he eagerly reciprocated the kiss made all of Yosuke’s embarrassment well worth it.

It was with great reluctance that Yosuke pulled back to catch his breath, laughing quietly as he saw the dazed look on Souji’s face. “You good, partner?”

“Better than good,” Souji replied, moving to rest his head against Yosuke’s shoulder. “I almost can’t even believe this is real.”

Yosuke chuckled weakly. “I know what you mean. You having feelings for me, us kissing… it’s surreal.”

“Good surreal?” Souji checked nervously.

“Good surreal,” Yosuke confirmed, smiling as Souji relaxed against him in response. “What are we going to do now, though?”

“Hm?”

Yosuke glanced away in embarrassment as he forced himself to continue. “I mean… are we, um.  _ Together _ , now?”

“Do you want to be?” Souji asked.

“I…,” Yosuke trailed off, biting his lip as he fell into thought.

He wanted to kiss Souji, that much was clear--and he was surprisingly alright with the idea of Souji having feelings for him, too. At the same time, though, he was still trying to wrap his mind around the idea of being attracted to a guy when he’d spent as long as he could remember convinced that he was completely straight.

“It’s alright if you need time to think about it,” Souji said, pulling back enough to give Yosuke a reassuring smile. “Honestly, I wasn’t even expecting you to accept my feelings, let alone for you to even consider wanting to be more than friends with me.”

Yosuke blushed lightly. “You already said you’ve been hiding your feelings for months now; it’s not fair of me to--”

“Yosuke,” Souji cut him off gently, pressing a finger to Yosuke’s lips to silence him, “I would gladly wait the rest of my life for you.”

“Goddammit partner, you… you can’t just say things like that with a straight face,” Yosuke complained weakly, his face burning as he took in Souji’s sincere, affectionate expression. “You’re seriously going to make me fall for you if you keep that up.”

Souji chuckled as he moved to take Yosuke’s hand, lifting it to press a kiss to Yosuke’s knuckles before replying, “Do you really think saying that is going to make me want to stop?”

Yosuke groaned and leaned forward to hide his face against Souji’s shoulder. “Not fair,” he grumbled. “Seriously, how do you do all of that embarrassing stuff so easily?”

Souji shrugged his free shoulder, moving a hand up to run through Yosuke’s hair and smiling as Yosuke gradually relaxed against him in response. “I’m just being honest, that’s all. I’m not ashamed of my feelings for you, so why should I feel embarrassed?”

“Partner….”

Yosuke hesitated before shifting enough to wrap his arms around Souji, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he felt rather than saw Souji’s heavy blush. He turned his head enough for his lips to brush against Souji’s neck, surprised by just how much he enjoyed the feeling of Souji shivering in response.

“Thank you,” Yosuke murmured, before reluctantly pulling back to give Souji a teasing smile. “Alright, I think that’s enough sappiness for one night--let’s get you upstairs so you can go to sleep, otherwise you’re really gonna be feeling it tomorrow.”

Souji chuckled weakly--he’d honestly forgotten about his exhaustion with how focused he was on Yosuke and his willingness to be physically affectionate with him, but now that Yosuke brought it up, it was suddenly beginning to hit him how much trouble he was having keeping his eyes open.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” Souji agreed, letting Yosuke help him up and leaning against him gratefully as he slowly and patiently walked him upstairs.

It was only when they entered Souji’s bedroom that he realized that Yosuke had made no mention of leaving.

Yosuke must have noticed the look on Souji’s face, because he rolled his eyes and said, “Did you really think I was just going to dump you off here and go?” He gave Souji a smile and a wink as he added, “C’mon, you know I wouldn’t do that to my partner.”

“Thank you,” Souji replied with a small smile, before moving to leave the room as he said, “Let me just go get the spare futon--”

“Souji, go to  _ bed _ ,” Yosuke said with fond exasperation. “Don’t worry about the spare futon. Just get changed and go to sleep; I’m going to borrow your shower and some pajamas, and I’ll be back in a bit.”

Souji yawned and nodded, making his way over to his drawers and rummaging through them to take out pajamas to change into. “Mmkay. Take whatever you need.”

He moved over to his futon with his change of clothes in hand so that Yosuke could freely go through his dresser and find something to wear, too tired to do much more than crack a small, amused smile as he heard Yosuke make a choked noise of embarrassment when Souji pulled off his shirt without preamble.

“I-I’ll be back in a bit!” Yosuke exclaimed before rushing out of the room, pausing for just long enough to add, “Don’t wait up for me, alright?”

Souji made a vague noise of acknowledgment as he continued changing, before sitting down on his futon with an exhausted sigh.

Despite what Yosuke said, Souji wanted to at least try and stay up until Yosuke returned--but it was an uphill battle that he was quickly losing as his eyelids kept drooping and his head kept bobbing.

It wouldn’t hurt to just… lay down for a bit, would it?

He would just close his eyes for a minute, and get back up to help Yosuke with the guest futon once he finished taking his shower.

Just one minute, that was all….

* * *

Yosuke quietly reentered the bedroom, frowning as he saw the light still on before shaking his head in fond exasperation as he saw Souji passed out on top of his futon.

He’d probably tried to stay up and wait for Yosuke, even after Yosuke told him not to.

“You’re so stubborn, partner, I swear,” Yosuke muttered under his breath, shutting the light off before carefully making his way over to Souji.

It took some careful maneuvering, but he managed to get the blankets out from under Souji without waking him up, and he gently pulled them over his sleeping partner’s body before eyeing the small bit of empty space left in the futon with a flushed face.

He hadn’t been able to find the spare futon, and he didn’t want to sleep on the couch without any blankets or pillows to use, and… well, it wasn’t like Souji would object to Yosuke sharing a futon with him, right?

Plus, Souji was surprisingly comfortable and warm, judging from the few times he’d been held in his arms.

Yosuke took a breath, letting it out slowly as he pushed aside his embarrassment and slowly crawled into the futon until he was pressed up against his partner under the covers.

This… wasn’t so bad, he realized as he gradually began to relax. It would take some getting used to, for sure, but if he was being honest with himself (which wasn’t always easy), he really didn’t think he would be able to turn down the opportunity to be with Souji as more than just friends--not when he’d gotten a taste of being able to be physically affectionate with someone, of someone being physically affectionate with  _ him _ in return, and most importantly, of someone having genuine feelings for him.

Especially not when the person in question was  _ Souji Seta _ , the most amazing guy he knew.

That was a conversation for tomorrow, though--for now, Yosuke was content to put the matter aside in favor of getting some well-earned rest, a peaceful sleep easily claiming him with the knowledge that his partner was safe and sound back home where he belonged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap for my Souyo Halloween Event contribution! Hopefully it was a decent enough read lmao;;


End file.
